Cubs lead at Wrigley

April 16, 2013

Five wild pitches in a single inning, a two-run homer surrendered on what would have been the last strike of the game and a balk in the 10th inning. Some days, an obstructed view of Wrigley Field doesn't sound like such a bad thing.

Yet the morning after his team fell to 4-8, Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts stood before the TV cameras and promised Chicago a World Series title. A hard-fought deal with City Hall still has to touch the bases — Plan Commission, Landmarks Commission and City Council — but Ricketts' announcement had the feel of a home-run trot.

And why not? The Cubs haven't put this many runs on the scoreboard in years. The deal would give them a Jumbotron in left field and a giant see-through sign in right. The city would vacate two sidewalks and a lane of street parking so the stadium walls could be bumped out. The Cubs would get more night games, more late afternoon starts, street closings on game days — even beer sales in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Most important, they have the blessing of the mayor and alderman.

On the outside, looking in, are the owners of the rooftop bleachers perched above the stadium walls. They argue that changes to the ballpark that obstruct the view from their buildings would violate their revenue-sharing contract with the Cubs and put them out of business. Early on, they pitched an alternative — offering to put the ads on their buildings and turn the revenue over to the Cubs — but the team wasn't interested.

The rooftop owners also wanted an extension of their contract, set to expire in 2023, under which the clubs pay the team 17 percent of revenue. But the rooftops were shut out of the negotiations. "CUBS, CITY REACH DEAL ON WRIGLEY," the Tribune headline said Monday.

The club owners' response to the announcement was measured — hey, they'd love to see a World Series at Wrigley Field, too — but they made it clear they don't consider the game over. The Wrigleyville Rooftops Association pledged to "play an active role in the community process" leading to formal approval.

The club owners don't know how big the planned signs would be or where exactly they'd be placed, but leaked reports have put the Jumbotron at up to 6,000 square feet and the Toyota-style billboard at 800.

The city has agreed to vacate a parking lane and sidewalk on Waveland Avenue and another sidewalk on Sheffield Avenue so the stadium wall can be extended 10 feet. That would allow the Cubs to place the signs farther back, which means they'd block less of the view from the rooftops.

But the statement released by the city and the Cubs commits only to preserving the view "to the extent consistent with the needs of the team."

The club owners insist their contract prohibits signs that block their view, and they "reserve the right to use any and all means necessary" to enforce it. But they're at a real disadvantage now, with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Ald. Tom Tunney, 44th, batting for the Cubs.

Ricketts has made a strong case for the concessions wrung from the negotiations. He abandoned his plea for taxpayer help and pledged to invest $500 million of his own money in the neighborhood. That includes $300 million in improvements to the 99-year-old stadium, plus $200 million for a 175-room hotel and office building, bedecked in advertising, across the street.

Ricketts says the deal would bring 2,000 new jobs and $20 million a year in tax revenue, not to mention that World Series win. To ease neighborhood concerns, he's agreed to pay for new traffic lights and more security on game days and to provide 1,000 more remote parking spaces and a free shuttle.

To do all of that, he needs the city to loosen the long list of restrictions that have kept the Cubs from tapping revenue streams available to other major league teams. Limits on the number of night games and on-field advertising have forced the Cubs to leave millions of dollars on the table. Ricketts says he'd use that money to field a competitive team. He deserves a chance to put his money where his mouth is.